Spiffy:

Iffy:

Still no release date? C'mon Epic, you're killing us!

For the majority of the gamers who own the system, the most anticipated Xbox 360 game being shown at E3 is Gears of War. We've been eagerly awaiting the game ever since we saw it for the first time at E3 2005, and many people believe that Microsoft won the battle of the E3 press conferences primarily because they kicked it off with the most intense, eye-opening (literally, since most of us were exhausted) demo we've seen in quite some time. Earlier today, we had a chance to check out another section of the level that was shown in the demo, and we were actually able to get our hands on the game for some glorious multiplayer action.

Gears of War tells the tale of one Marcus Fenix, a former military man who's been sent to jail for disobeying the orders of his superior. Of course, once mankind is largely decimated by an army of subterranean creatures called the Locusts, all bets are off, and it's not long before Marcus is broken out of prison by his former partner. In the demo we saw at the Microsoft press conference, Marcus and his buddy had to fight their way through wave after wave of terrifying enemies, but today's demo found them taking a different route. Many of the levels in the game will feature multiple paths, and this one was designed for those gamers that haven't played many shooters. It basically acted as a training mission, allowing Cliffy B to take his time and explain the gameplay mechanics.

While many third-person shooters are run 'n gun affairs, Epic likes to say that the emphasis in Gears of War is on a "stop 'n pop" style of play. This means that, rather than running directly into the action, players are better off using cover to proceed across the war zone. Using said cover is a breeze in Gears, thanks largely to the "All button," which is mapped to the Xbox 360's A button. Once you're facing cover, a quick press of the A button will slam you into place, out of harm's way, and pressing it again will pull you away. When your back's against the wall, you can fire blindly by holding down the right trigger or use the A button in conjunction with the analog stick to roll left or right or hurdle short obstacles.

During those moment when you aren't taking cover from enemy gunfire, holding down the A button will allow Marcus to break into a "roadie run" similar to the running crouch performed by stagehands at a rock show. The camera will zoom in tight while you sprint, shaking wildly as if you're actually being followed by a cameraman. One of the coolest elements in the game is the graphic that will come up at the bottom of the screen that indicates when you can perform a context-sensitive action, such as pressing a button or kicking open a door.